Sub-2 Marathon Test Run Yields Fast Times, Lingering Questions

After months of speculation and debate, the three athletes selected for Nike’s sub-two-hour marathon project stepped onto a racetrack in Italy today for a real-world test of the Breaking2 team’s plans and progress. Just under an hour—and 13.1 miles—later, the result was a mix of encouraging signs, lingering questions, and potential worries that the athletes and scientists will hope to address in the coming weeks before the sub-two attempt this spring.

The finish-line clock showed an impressive half marathon time of 59:17 when Eliud Kipchoge crossed the finish line, well under the pre-event goal of 60:00. Zersenay Tadese followed in 59:41, while Lelisa Desisa lagged behind in 62:55, having fallen off the pace less than halfway through. (These times are unofficial.)

Before the event, the Nike team had insisted that it was not a race or even a time trial; it was, they said, a dress rehearsal for the complex logistics of the attempt. “We’re not testing the athletes’ fitness,” said Brad Wilkins, one of the project’s lead scientists. “We’re testing ourselves.”

Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya finished the half marathon test run in 59:17.

Chris Lawrence

In that light, Kipchoge’s and Tadese’s fast times are encouraging, especially if they didn’t race all-out. Desisa’s disappointing run isn’t necessarily a disaster, but will certainly shake his confidence going into the sub-two attempt.

The course itself, delineated by a painted white line, was measured to be exactly 2,400 meters long, so that splits and timing mats could be laid every 200 meters on the multi-loop course. (Actually, course measurer David Katz explained, it was 2,402.4 meters, to meet IAAF error tolerance requirements of 0.1 percent.)

The runners followed a specially outfitted Tesla, driven by a Formula One test driver, with a clock on the back showing elapsed time, splits, and projected finish time. From what I understand, using a computer-driven car would violate IAAF pacing rules (more details on that when I get them), so the task of driving at a steady pace requires considerable skill.

Fueling took place on the backstretch, with Nike scientist Brett Kirby passing personalized and color-coded bottles to each athlete from a moped, so that they wouldn’t need to slow.

Perhaps the most important element of the test run was the pacing and drafting strategy, the final form of which remains very much up for debate. The runners started in a diamond formation, in rows of 1-2-3-2-1, with Kipchoge, Desisa, and Tadese filling the last two rows. As time went on, other fresh pacers subbed in and out.

Among several other factors, Tuesday’s test run was a chance to work on the pacing and drafting strategy.

Chris Lawrence

However, strong winds (and, of course, the fast pace) played havoc with the drafting formation, which kept changing shape and sometimes breaking down.

By design, Kipchoge and Tadese ran the final 2.4K loop alone—an indication, perhaps, that the team is still considering the possibility of running the final race in a totally legal and world-record-eligible format. That said, after today’s results, it seems unlikely they’ll pursue that course, especially since none of the runners were close enough together on that final lap to benefit from each other’s drafting protection.

The next step for the team is to analyze the piles of data they collected from the runners during the attempt, from ingested core-temperature pills, taped-on muscle oxygen and skin-temperature sensors, pre- and post-run weight measurements, and so on. That will give them an indication of how hard the athletes were working during the half marathon—and, crucially, whether they’ll be able to hold nearly the same pace for twice as long.

​

​

As skeptics of Nike’s project have pointed out repeatedly over the past few months, that’s a very tall order, even with a hyper-optimized course and performance-enhancing shoes. But watching Kipchoge cross the line, smiling and relaxed, then saunter unhurriedly over to a scale where scientific consultant Andy Jones was waiting to weigh him, it didn’t seem impossible—especially when I asked him how hard the effort had really been. Was it 95 percent? 98 percent? 100 percent? He grinned. “Sixty percent,” he said. “It was part of my training.”

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.